January 16, 2015
A new Campus Food Map and Sustainable Dining Guide is now available online, created by a student team as part of the Environmental Studies 600 capstone course Consumer-Driven Sustainability.
Environmental studies students Danielle Caputo, Jen Tirella and Russell Wagner created the interactive map with the goal of helping the UW-Madison campus community make more sustainable food choices. The map includes reviews of all campus eateries and their sustainable dining options.
“Our hope is to educate our community about the variety of sustainable dining options available on campus,” the students write on the Campus Food Map website. “We found it imperative to investigate our campus’ dining options and create something that can connect students to their food choices.”
The student team visited each eatery on campus and gathered information about each location’s sustainable food options, then translated their findings into a user-friendly, familiar map interface that makes information about menu items and food sustainability more accessible. Masrudy Omri, a recent geography alumnus, designed the mapping platform.
The UW-Madison Office of Sustainability supported the class with a Sustainability Innovation in Research and Education (SIRE) Educational Innovation grant and is also hosting the online map on their website.
Holly Gibbs, an assistant professor of geography and environmental studies, and Nelson Institute graduate student Tyler Lark led the course in the spring semester of 2014. View other student projects from the capstone course.